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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has described Maeve Binchy as a “national treasure” as he paid tribute to the author who died last night.
Kenny was responding to the news which was released last night that the Irish fiction writer, who sold over 40 million books worldwide, has passed away. Binchy was 72.
“Today we have lost a national treasure. Across Ireland and the world people are mourning and celebrating Maeve Binchy.
“She is a huge loss wherever stories of love, hope, generosity and possibility are read and cherished,” Kenny said.
Binchy, who is survived by her husband Gordon Snell, was the author of books such as Circle of Friends and Tara Road both of which were adapted for the big-screen.
Kenny said that the nation was “thankful for and proud of” Binchy who passed away at a hospital in Dublin last night.
The Taoiseach added: ”I offer my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Government and the Irish people to her husband Gordon Snell and extended family.”
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I made this point the other day when we were talking about Irish Rail, how much longer are we going to have to subsidise these costly and inefficient state transport providers?
Has anyone travelled by Bus Eireann on a lengthy journey recently?
Its absolute torture.
I don’t use BE any more, 3 hours to Wexford town from Dublin is an absolute joke! Expensive, dirty, slow and the rudest drivers iv ever had the ‘pleasure’ of encountering!
Martian you should travel with Wexford bus company , free wifi on all their 4 star air-conditioned buses, and polite drivers bar 1 dude
I do now Peter. Cheaper and gets me there faster!
Time to deregulate and privatise transport.
Add health care and education to that list and we can form a coalition
You want to privatise the provision of education? Seriously?
Well yeah or decentralise it heavily letting parents and teachers desire the curriculum and exams.. No taxes on any incomes, simply a consumption tax
Peter, we’re majorly off topic but there are some massive flaws in your idea, IMO
For a start the whole of society is the ultimate consumer of education and also you need an over all consistency in levels and content to make allow employers to judge between the outputs.
If the journal want to bring up the topic of general privatisation re Merkel’s “suggestions” we could probably discuss further.
Well I’m a libertarian at heart, and yeah I’d like that !
Agreed, but those from ballygobackwards will certainly find themselves without public transport. Thats the difference between public owned and private, needs of people vs profit margins. I don’t think we can justify owning and running loss making transport companies, when the country is going down the pan.
Well school transport alone is subsidized for 180 million a year and no austerity imposed on bus eireann at all and they a upping prices as well as cutting routes and prices…..law onto themselves.
Change regulation for bigger advertising
As far as I can see the busman gets €500-600 a week. Most of the company losses are on the advertising side of the business. There should be more live timetable terminals to increase consumer satisfaction. Maybe introduce advertising under the live times!
have your say